Tawny Eagle - Aquila rapax

This eagle lives in the steppes of Central Asia and is very fond of cleptoparasitism, which means it pursues other predators to grab their prey. It gets its Latin name rapax meaning “abductor” from this behaviour. Tawny eagles are territorial. Sometimes pairs occupy the same area for over a decade. The size of their territory varies on average from 35 to 55 square kilometres. There are three sub-species of the Tawny Eagle.

First chick hatched at Le Rocher des Aigles : 21 May, 1991

CLASS : Aves
ORDER : Accipitriformes
FAMILY : Accipitridae
WINGSPAN : 1.9 m
WEIGHT : 1.7 – 3.1 kg
CLUTCH SIZE : 2 eggs
INCUBATION : 39-44 days
LIFE EXPECTANCY : 45 years
DIET : medium-sized mammals, birds, reptiles, insects and carrion
NATURAL HABITAT : it lives in open savannahs and arid steppes.
RANGE : Asia, Near East, Africa

Conservation status info

 

VU : Vulnerable

In Africa, a reduction in population has been observed especially near livestock farming areas (accidental or intentional poisoning, drowning, collisions with power lines or road traffic).
The latest assessment in 2018 classifies this species as VU (vulnerable)